In order to maintain sanitary conditions, plastic bags have been used to line waste receptacles in both institutional and commercial practice. The plastic liner bag prevents waste or other materials from contacting the receptacle, as well as providing a simple and easy way to empty the container.
Because of the large variety of container sizes, it is difficult to secure the bag to the container so that it will not slide down into the receptacle. Merely folding the top of the bag over the receptacle is not satisfactory, since the materials in the bag tend to pull the bag into the receptacle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,509,570 describes a plastic bag which has an elastic loop positioned in the hem at the top of the bag. The elastic loop provides a means to hold the bag at the top of the receptacle as well as to close the bag when it is removed from the receptacle. The elastic loop is in a highly stretched state when the bag is open and closes the top of the bag automatically when removed from the receptacle. It is difficult and expensive to manufacture a bag with the elastic band in a highly stretched state. Further, a bag having the automatic closing feature of this patent can provide a safety hazard to a child who may inadvertently obtain one of the bags and place the bag over his head. A bag having a similar elastic top is found in French Patent No. 1,419,805.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,701, a plastic liner bag is described which has an elastic band partially secured to the open top of the plastic bag. The plastic band is used to overlap the top of a receptacle to hold the bag in place on the receptacle. This band can not be used as a drawstring to close the top of the bag when it is filled. French Patent No. 1,367,590 also describes a bag having an elastic top which does not act as a drawstring.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,802,582 describes a typical drawstring trash bag. The drawstring of this patent is not elastic.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,792,241 the drawstring of the bag has a circumference less than that of the bag, but the drawstring is not elastic.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,938,607 utilizes a drawstring in forming a plastic sheet that can be used to produce a container for yard clippings and the like. The outer dimensions of the drawstring are smaller than the outer dimensions of the plastic sheet, but the drawstring is not elastic.
French Patent No. 2,604,419 concerns a pouch for food having an elastic cord to fit over the contents of the pouch when eating.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,133,607 describes a plastic liner bag which includes elastic drawstrings that are enclosed in the hems at the top of the plastic bag which can be used to both hold the top of the bag on the top of a receptacle as well as to close the bag when filled. The drawstring is preferably formed from a thermoplastic rubber-linear low density polyethylene blend.